Sequart Organization » politics

Because I Am the Goddamn Batman: Political Ideologies and Transhumanism in Superhero Comics

KD Evans — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 17:34:48 +0000

Superheroes give us a way to get at the ideologies at work in transhumanism and politics. The genre of superhero comics is a fantastical take on an often dystopian version of our own real world.… [more]

The Fundamental Things Apply: A Brief Meditation on Reading Jack Kirby in 2017

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 11:00:13 +0000

In times of stress, many of us look to the arts to help fill our emotional wells after they’ve gone dry. And right now, for me, Jack Kirby is like some kind of magical mountain spring. [more]

Watchmen up Close: An Interview with Andrew Hoberek

William Bradley — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 11:00:51 +0000

Watchmen up Close: An Interview with Andrew Hoberek" title="Watchmen up Close: An Interview with Andrew Hoberek" style="float:left;" />Andrew Hoberek is the author of Considering Watchmen: Poetics, Property, Politics (Rutgers University Press), a 2015 Eisner-Award nominee for Best Educational/ Academic Work. He is also an Associate Professor of English at the University of… [more]

Last Week Tonight is Mandatory Viewing

Julian Darius — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 17:00:07 +0000

Last Week Tonight is Mandatory Viewing" title="Last Week Tonight is Mandatory Viewing" style="float:left;" />When Last Week Tonight was announced, given John Oliver’s past work as a fill-in host and a correspondent for The Daily Show, it was easy to see Last Week Tonight as a Daily Show clone… only aired… [more]

The Politics of Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Greg Carpenter — Mon, 14 Apr 2014 17:00:53 +0000

Captain America: The Winter Soldier" title="The Politics of Captain America: The Winter Soldier" style="float:left;" />CHARLIE GIBSON: Do you agree with the Bush doctrine? SARAH PALIN: In what respect, Charlie? GIBSON: The Bush — well, what do you — what do you interpret it to be? PALIN: His world view. GIBSON: No,… [more]

Why I’m (Proudly, this Time) Boycotting Orson Scott Card

Julian Darius — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 14:00:13 +0000

Having weighed in on the Orson Scott Card controversy earlier this year, when he was hired to write Superman, I feel compelled to weigh in now that he’s issued his non-apology apology. The controversy earlier… [more]

Superman’s Rejection of American Exceptionalism

Forrest Helvie — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:00:59 +0000

In February of 1940, Superman ended World War II and prevented the future Cold War altogether through flying around the world by capturing both Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin and delivering them to international authorities… [more]

On “How Superman Would Win the War”

Julian Darius — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:00:57 +0000

One of the best Superman stories – and probably one of the most important super-hero stories ever told – is also one of the shortest. What’s more, the story didn’t appear in a Superman comic;… [more]

Why Iron Man 3 is the Best Iron Man Film to Date

Julian Darius — Mon, 06 May 2013 11:00:23 +0000

Iron Man 3 is the Best Iron Man Film to Date" title="Why Iron Man 3 is the Best Iron Man Film to Date" style="float:left;" />Iron Man 3 might not be an Avengers-like, nonstop action fest. But it’s the best of the three Iron Man films. In fact, it’s the only one that really understands the character. Before I explain, however,… [more]

On Chicago Public Schools Censoring Persepolis‘s Images of Torture

Julian Darius — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 13:47:12 +0000

Persepolis‘s Images of Torture" title="On Chicago Public Schools Censoring Persepolis‘s Images of Torture" style="float:left;" />In the recent discussions over censorship of Persepolis in Chicago public schools, there’s been a notable lack of discussion over why anyone would want the book removed — and what such reasoning represents. The series… [more]

Miracleman, Chapter 7, and British Politics

Julian Darius — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:00:54 +0000

Miracleman, Chapter 7, and British Politics" title="Miracleman, Chapter 7, and British Politics" style="float:left;" />We’ve begun discussing chapter seven (in two parts) of Alan Moore’s Miracleman, illustrated by Alan Davis. Today, we continue our exploration of that chapter. (We’ve previously introduced Miracleman and discussed chapters one, two, three, four, five, and six,… [more]

Why The Dark Knight Rises Fails

Julian Darius — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 11:00:15 +0000

The Dark Knight Rises Fails" title="Why The Dark Knight Rises Fails" style="float:left;" />Let me start by saying that I’m glad if you like The Dark Knight Rises. I wanted to. I wrote a book about Batman Begins. I love The Dark Knight, and its ending makes me… [more]

On Hawkworld, by Timothy Truman and Alcatena (1989)

Colin Smith — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:00:35 +0000

Hawkworld, by Timothy Truman and Alcatena (1989)" title="On Hawkworld, by Timothy Truman and Alcatena (1989)" style="float:left;" />In the shadows of the planet Thanagar’s great High Towers, where the three billion souls of the Empire’s alien underclass are segregated away in the most squalid and soul-butchering of conditions, there’s a statue of… [more]

Miracleman, Chapter 5, and the Brixton Riots

Julian Darius — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:00:08 +0000

Miracleman, Chapter 5, and the Brixton Riots" title="Miracleman, Chapter 5, and the Brixton Riots" style="float:left;" />Last time, we began our examination of chapter five of Alan Moore’s Miracleman. Originally printed in Warrior #6 (Oct 1982), it concludes Miracleman’s fight with Kid Miracleman and marks the midpoint of Book One. As… [more]

Why Batman Isn’t a Wingnut

Mike Greear — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:19 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine clicked on a Batman-related TV show clip that found its way to the front page of Reddit. The segment came from a British talk show (one that I can’t seem… [more]

Reading Holy Terror’s First Act

Julian Darius — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 12:00:15 +0000

Holy Terror’s First Act" title="Reading Holy Terror’s First Act" style="float:left;" />After its three-page thematic introductory sequence, Holy Terror shifts to the Fixer chasing Cat Burglar across Empire City’s rooftops. It’s a sequence not without its charms, including a few powerful images. It depicts an eccentric, hard-boiled… [more]

Superheroes are More than Propaganda

Mike Greear — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:00:34 +0000

It’s been five years since he originally announced it, and ten years since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, which inspired the story, but Frank Miller’s graphic novel Holy Terror has finally been released. The… [more]

On The Big Lie, by Rich Veitch and Gary Erskine

Julian Darius — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:00:58 +0000

The Big Lie, by Rich Veitch and Gary Erskine" title="On The Big Lie, by Rich Veitch and Gary Erskine" style="float:left;" />Before addressing this controversial comic, let’s establish one thing: anything by Rick Veitch is newsworthy and deserving of better than being written off. Veitch is one of the legends who renewed American comics in the… [more]

Superman is a Sex-Crazed Nazi!

Kevin Thurman — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:00:16 +0000

I’m astounded. We shouldn’t even be having this conversation. Yet here we are. Racist tweets by comic shops, Glenn Beck talking about Spider-Man and the change of traditions, and a “radical” Superman. What the hell… [more]

Colin Smith on Comics Criticism

Julian Darius — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:00:08 +0000

As a medium, comics are in a strange place. In many ways, we as comics scholars and advocates have achieved the respect we long sought. Hollywood is so full of big-budget comics-related movies that it’s… [more]

Dan Dare and the Seductive Myths of Englishness

Colin Smith — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:00:31 +0000

In the very first Dan Dare adventure, which began to be serialised weekly in the Christian boy’s comic Eagle in 1950, we’re introduced to the ”Inter Planet Space Fleet some years in the future.” It’s an odd… [more]

Captain Britain and the Comforting Myths of Englishness

Colin Smith — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:00:39 +0000

In Paul Cornell’s Captain Britain and MI:13 #1, the eponymous Captain is killed by a Skrull missile during an alien invasion of Britain. As is the way of super-hero comics — and as was something of a habit… [more]

The Fate of an Archer!

Matt Lampert — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:26:20 +0000

“Oh, he’s fast, the archer is! Fast hands, fast feet…yes, and a bit angry, too! His is an independent soul—he’s pioneer material, like Wild Bill and Wyatt, he’s not about to be pushed—by anyone!” —Green… [more]

Mike Mackey on Liberality for All

Julian Darius — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 02:00:19 +0000

Liberality for All" title="Mike Mackey on Liberality for All" style="float:left;" />Mike Mackey is the creator of Liberality for All, the first issue of which recently saw publication from ACC Studios. Billed as “the World’s First Conservative Comic Book,” the series takes place 20 years after 9/11.… [more]

Don’t Tread On Me

Amy E. Dean — Sat, 20 Aug 2005 14:33:30 +0000

Politics has invaded comics, and I’m pissed. What do G. Gordon Liddy, Oliver North, and and Sean Hannity all have in common? They’re superheroes. We have a convicted felon, a man that should have gone… [more]

On In the Shadow of No Towers

Julian Darius — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 12:00:36 +0000

In the Shadow of No Towers" title="On In the Shadow of No Towers" style="float:left;" />In 2004, coinciding with the Presidential elections, Art Spiegelman released In the Shadow of No Towers. It was the first time his work had penetrated the bookstore since his Maus, which had since won a… [more]

Mark Millar’s The Authority and the Polemic over Iraq

Julian Darius — Sat, 19 Jul 2003 17:00:14 +0000

The Authority and the Polemic over Iraq" title="Mark Millar’s The Authority and the Polemic over Iraq" style="float:left;" />For some reason, as I think of the polemic over Iraq (as I often do these days), I keep thinking about The Authority. Perhaps this is because I’ve considered The Authority in some depth, presenting on it… [more]

The Intellectual Rip-Off of Captain America’s The New Deal

Julian Darius — Mon, 14 Apr 2003 11:00:59 +0000

The New Deal" title="The Intellectual Rip-Off of Captain America’s The New Deal" style="float:left;" />There has been some discussion, as of late, of the politics of recent Captain America storylines. The last year has seen a relaunched Captain America series, as well as the mini-series Truth: Red, White, & Black, controversially… [more]

Exposing Status Quo Super-Heroics in Mark Millar’s The Authority

Julian Darius — Wed, 12 Feb 2003 18:00:43 +0000

The Authority" title="Exposing Status Quo Super-Heroics in Mark Millar’s The Authority" style="float:left;" />In 2000, a largely unknown writer named Mark Millar took over an already revolutionary title called The Authority, published by DC / WildStorm. Under the previous writer and series co-creator, Warren Ellis, the title had… [more]